SpeakUp

Grammar fix

brush up on

improve knowledge or skill

To quickly review or practice something you already learned, so you remember it better or become more skilled.

phrasal verbB1common

Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

  • I need to brush up on my Spanish before my trip to Mexico.study
  • If I had more time, I would brush up on my presentation skills to feel more confident during public speaking.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: brush up on [something]

WrongI need to brush up my Spanish.

RightI need to brush up on my Spanish.

'Brush up ON something'.

Patternbrush up on [something]

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff I ought to refresh and revise my previously acquired French.

Natural I need to brush up on my French.

'Refresh and revise previously acquired' is clunky; 'brush up on' is the natural idiom.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

  • brush up on
    onmy Frenchthe basicsyour grammar

Don't confuse it

Different from 'pick up', which means to learn something for the first time.

Try it in Daily Speak →